However, knowyourmobile.com claims “sources” revealed “it will be arriving in January 2012”. Amazon has yet to respond to our request for confirmation of this date.

The Wi-Fi only tablet PC is powered by a dual-core Texas Instruments Open Multimedia Application processor that is based on an ARM design which can be found in a number of other tablet PCs including Apple’s iPad. It’s designed for consuming movies, TV shows, music, apps and books, rather than personal computing.

The 1024x600 pixel touchscreen display is made from Gorilla Glass and the tablet PC also runs a customised version ofGoogle Android.

It also comes with an 8GB internal memory, WhisperSync technology that allows playback to be stopped on one device and resume at the same point on another, Amazon’s Silk browser and an email client. According to Amazon offers eight hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with the wireless switched off.

In the US, the device costs $199. However, Amazon has yet to reveal the UK pricing for the Kindle Fire.